Ball State architecture students are enhancing lives, the community, and their profession with support from the Costello Family Fund.

Through the Freedom by Design program, the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter on campus improves the homes of individuals with disabilities, making the dwellings more livable and accessible to each resident’s needs. AIAS also collaborates in up-front urban planning for communities and public areas.

These and other AIAS community projects and professional development activities benefit from the generosity of Tony Costello, the chapter’s faculty advisor and Ball State’s first Irving distinguished professor in the College of Architecture and Planning. He believes in the mission of AIAS and marvels at the time and energy that busy architecture students commit to the organization.

“Investing in the AIAS is like investing in the future of the architecture profession,” says Costello, now a professor emeritus. “The fund is an incentive for students to get involved. It helps with the expenses of attending educational functions, which I think is really important.”

Ball State’s chapter fulfills the core principles of AIAS, which nationally strives “to promote excellence in architecture education, training, and practice; foster an appreciation of architecture and related disciplines; enrich communities in a spirit of collaboration; and organize students and combine their efforts to advance the art and science of architecture.”

Giving back to AIAS is important to Costello, who was a member of the organization in college.

“We go through various phases in life,” he says. “In some, we receive more than we give, and in some, we give more than we receive. I’m fortunate to have gotten scholarships and fellowships to assist with my education, and now it’s come full circle. I truly believe that by giving, you receive.”